The present invention relates to an area of improvement in an infrared carousel oven of the type taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,210 (2001) entitled High Efficiency Carousel Infrared Oven.
The prior art as exemplified in said item is shown in FIGS. 1 thru 3 herewith. Therein is shown a cooking panel 19 within the generally cylindrical envelope of oven 21 having a roof 39 in which the circular panel 19 (see also FIG. 2) is mounted upon an axle 23 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). Cooking panels that are used within infrared in other high energy intensity environments are typically formed of a material such as calcium aluminate which is able to store large quantities of heat and operate at temperature of at least 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Panel 19 is thus formed of a high thermal capacity material having parameters in a range of about 0.24 BTUs/pounds/degree Fahrenheit or 75,000 BTUs, given the weight of the illustrated assembly.
Panel 19 when mounted upon axle 23 will typically be enclosed by a journal 26. This assembly, inclusive of axle 23, is in turn rotated by a gear assembly 28. The arrows within FIG. 1 show the various forms and direction of heating to which heating panel 19 is subjected, this inclusive of burners 29 in the oven 21. At the top of FIG. 1 is shown flue 27 within roof 39. Also shown in FIG. 1 is axle journal 25.
Over the last approximately ten years of usage of high efficiency carousel infrared ovens and the like, it has been found that interface or connection 32 (see FIG. 3) between axle 23 and panel 19 will eventually degrade, thereby disabling the entire system as the connection between panel 19 and axle 23 erodes. Accordingly, a need has arisen in the art for an improved method of connection between heating panel 19 and rotational axle 23. The present invention is thereby directed to a solution to this problem.